| Book of Fairy | |
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Original Name |
妖精の書 |
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Romanized Name |
Yōsei no Sho |
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Author |
Paracelsus (パラケルスス Parakerususu) |
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Debut |
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Powers |
It summons the powers of a sylph. |
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User |
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Status |
Inside the Dantalian's Bookshelf |
Book of Fairy is a Phantom Book written by alchemist Paracelsus and used by Dalian. In the manga, it's also known as Liber de Sylphis, the Book of Sylphis. It opposed The Harlequinade’s powers. In the anime, it was read by Hugh to defeat a dragon. It's present in the Turn-Up Book story.
The Book of Fairy is a grimoire, a textbook of magic. Its pages are made of parchment and its letters are written with animal blood.[1] In the anime, its gilded cover shows a sylph and has two green ribbon bows.[2]
Background[]
This Phantom Book is one of the few remaining tomes of the middle ages that reveal techniques to control spirits. Most of them were burned or replaced by fakes.[1] It’s contained inside the Dantalian's Bookshelf under the control number 390,520. It was authored by Paracelsus.[3]
It's based on a real-life work called “Liber de nymphis, sylphis, pygmaeis et salamandris, et de caeteris spiritibus”, by Swiss German philosopher Paracelsus, published posthumously in 1566. It describes four elementals, fundamental building blocks of nature: gnomes, sylphs, salamanders and nymphs, corresponding to earth, air, fire and water, respectively.[4][5]
Powers[]
A sylph is summoned in the form of a strong wind. When the book is opened, a shock wave is created, repelling any attack. It was capable of engulfing The Harlequinade’s dragon with its own flame.[1]
In the manga, it summons a powerful gust of wind that keeps the enemies away. Soon after, an alchemy circle covers the surroundings and energy is released like an explosion, making opponents disappear.[3]
Script[]
Anime[]
In the anime adaptation, Hugh reads the Book of Fairy to summon a sylph and defeat the dragon.[2]
"Sheol.
A dark and silent abyss where the souls of the dead wander.
My foray into the abyss began with the innocence of a child chasing after a butterfly.
Eternal pain. Each breath brings with it smothering despair.
What words might I offer if I were to come across my mother and father?
So long it has been since I bound across the earth, amassing a wealth of knowledge.
The intellect of a demon. The ultimate equation which barred my path.
And the solution. I continued to search.
For a simple and universal answer.
Joy. The joy of life. The consummate joy of man that shall never fade.
However, the irregular wingbeats of the butterfly give rise to an infinite array of realities.
The laws of life sneer at human wisdom and escape from our grasp.
Cries of all kinds are averted, yet poverty never goes away.
Humans devour each other, succumb to disease, and cry out in agony as they die.
Oh, Sheol.
Merciless god of the underworld. Death incarnate. Hear my voice! Hear the grievous sobs of a mourning child!
The carcass of the butterfly you have ensnared may pale or tear apart, yet still, there are those who would defy death for a single scale.
Behold! As the ferocious worms take flight into the sky again.
Crushed dreams… Lingering rays of sunset transformed into brilliant light…
Curl your lips into a smile.
Spread your wings with fervor! Take flight! Butterfly of despair!"
Manga[]
In the manga, it’s shown a page with an alchemy circle. The symbol shines before the circle covers the surroundings, going beyond the pages of the book. On the adjacent page, the first three strophes of Dies Irae can be read in Latin.[3]
"The day of wrath, that day
will dissolve the world in ashes,
David being witness along with the Sibyl.
How great will be the quaking,
when the Judge will come,
investigating everything strictly.
The trumpet, scattering a wondrous sound
through the sepulchres of the regions,
will summon all before the throne."
Plot[]
The powers of a sylph from the Book of Fairy.
Hugh and Dalian are heading to Conrad’s study to seal The Harlequinade, since Conrad had taken the book from Wesley and released its creatures. They are stopped by a dragon. Hugh decides to distract the monster while Dalian runs to seal the Phantom Book. However, she tells Hugh to say the words inscribed in his golden key. The gates on Dalian’s chest are unlocked by Hugh. The dragon spits its flames, but Dalian is faster. She reaches her arm into her chest and pulls out the Book of Fairy. When she opens it, a shock wave is created next to her. She had summoned a sylph. The flames are reflected back to the dragon, which suffers, roaring and squirming on the ground. Hugh and Dalian use the chance to reach Conrad’s study.[1]
In the anime, the Book of Fairy appears from Dalian’s chest and ends up in Hugh’s hands. He reads the book, while some scenes show his childhood and experiences during the Great War. Dalian is also shown, sad due to Wesley’s death. The dragon turns to ashes after its flames are reflected by the Book of Fairy.[2]
In the manga, the book is also used by Dalian. A gust of wind is created to keep the characters from The Harlequinade away. Dalian is shown with black eyes. Then, an alchemy circle shines above the mansion and in one of the pages of the book, causing an explosion that makes the circus creatures disappear.[3]
Trivia[]
- In the anime, the text read by Hugh mentions butterflies. Golden butterflies appear along with the gust of wind that defeats the dragon. It also mentions the "intellect of a demon"[2], something related to Phantom Books and the Dantalian's Bookshelf.[1]
- The name Sheol or She'ol mentioned in the anime refers to the underworld in the Hebrew Bible and sometimes as the personification of evil.[6]
- The text may also refer to Butterfly effect. In chaos theory, the butterfly effect is the sensitive dependence on initial conditions in which a small change in one state can result in large differences in a later state. The term butterfly effect is closely associated with the work of American mathematician and meteorologist Edward Lorenz. It is derived from the metaphorical example of the details of a tornado being influenced by minor perturbations such as a distant butterfly flapping its wings several weeks earlier.[7]
- Translated as “Day of Wrath”, Dies Irae is a Latin hymn dating from the 13th century, attributed to either Italian friar Thomas of Celano or to Italian cardinal Latino Malabranca Orsini. It describes the Doomsday, the day of judgement, when the souls are summoned by God to be saved or punished for eternity.[8]
- Both texts from the Book of Fairy that appear in the anime and manga describe a man praying to a deity.[2][3]
- The term "sylph" originates in Paracelsus' works and refers to a mythological spirit of the air. They are associated with fairies and described as rougher, taller, and stronger than humans.[10]
- Paracelsus was born Philippus Aureolus Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim.[5] Van Hohenheim is the name of Edward Elric's father in the Fullmetal Alchemist series.[11]
- Book of the Salamander's Seal is another Phantom Book authored by Paracelsus.[12]
- The Book of Fairy is seen during the opening.[13]
- The Phantom Book is really titled Book of Yōsei.[1] Yōsei is a Japanese word generally synonymous with the English term "fairy". Today, the word usually refers to spirits from Western legends.[14]
- A mock Book of Fairy is included in the special edition of Codex 1, the first volume of the Japanese DVDs and Blu-ray discs.[15]
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References[]
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